And A Strong Cup of Coffee

Just out in the Bangor Daily - LePage signs bills to rebuild deer herd Kevin Bennett | BDN White-tailed deer bound across a field in Orono in October 2010. By GLENN ADAMS, The Associated Press Posted May 23, 2012, at 12:08 p.m. Print this E-mail this Facebook this Tweet this AUGUSTA, Maine — With hopes of rebuilding a deer herd that’s shrunk in parts of Maine to worrisome levels, Gov. Paul LePage has signed new legislation that implements multipronged strategies laid out in a bill that passed last year. The new laws, signed Monday by LePage, are aimed principally at two areas: restoring all-important deer yards that help the animals survive Maine’s winters and controlling coyotes where they are the biggest threat to deer. Wildlife...

I found a blog post via Twitter from the US Sportsman's Alliance and US Sportsman's Alliance Foundation about the possibility of getting fired for hunting in other States and the legality of the whole ridiculous situation. The gist of the story is this: The Commish in California went to Idaho and shot a legal Mountain Lion. In California, that's illegal. When he got back, activism groups called for his resignation. As a result, there is all sorts of legislation being proposed that would prevent this kind of potential prosecution from happening. I know many of you out there hunt in different State. Do you hunt any wildlife in these States that is illegal to hunt in your home State? AND - let's go back to the first time in the blog "The...

Throughout my life thus far, I have been the kid who looks at the sun and gets a severe sun burn. I walks outside in the spring and comes back in looking like I have chicken pox. I can bathe in deet (or any other "repellant") and easily get 20 bug bites. I look like an idiot when I am outside in the summertime; at a friend's house, out by the fire, I am in jeans, sneakers, wool socks, long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, hat and covered in bug dope. And I will have 15 bug bites all over me the next day. I have heard it all: "You're just so sweet" (I'm not), "They like your blood type" (My blood is just as good as anyone else's!) and a bevy of suggestions on the type of bug spray to use. Nothing works. It is May 14th and I have already had 6...

It was a fantastic Maine spring weekend. A little chilly and windy Saturday morning, but the sun was out and we were outside. Fresh air and sunshine will cure what ails ya! We had a mini lawn sale in the morning, then in the afternoon, Hubby and I went on a adventure with Dad. We had important business in the woods... namely, how our hunting spots are looking and if there was any sign deer out and about. We checked out the Sky Condo and then Dad took us to a new spot that he has added to our list of places to hunt. A friend of his owns the land and Dad has been wanting to hunt on it for a few years now, but I was the stick in the mud and liked where I was. But, now.. with my confidence still high from my buck, I am game. This new spot...

A friend of mine in DC occasionally sends me (or Tweets at me) articles that he wants my opinion on. Yesterday, it was an op-ed piece from the New York Times titled, "I Hunt, but the N.R.A. Isn’t for Me" by Lily Raff McCaulou. My buddy wanted to know, as a "lady hunter" what I thought about this. And I am curious what YOUR opinion is... are you a card carrying member of the NRA? As I read the op-ed, I agreed with many of her points, For hunters like me, hunting isn’t ultimately about the gun. It’s about wildlife and the land that sustains it and I’m a hunter and a sportswoman. I own guns, but not for self-defense but I also have to wonder if her stats are truly correct "the most comprehensive national survey of firearm ownership to...

After talking about it for a few weeks, I actually took my antlers back to my house and boiled them. It was a nice, sunny day. I had my grill going and everything was working well. The wind put out the burner a couple of times, but I re-lit it. However, when I ran out of propane, I was forced to bring it inside. With the windows and door open, I boiled this thing. I added water every 30-60 minutes to keep it boiling. Hour after hour. I thing the entire project took me about 8 hours. But when it was done, this is what I had. Its funny to look at the antlers now and see how uneven they are.I think the lines are the coolest thing. They are suture lines from the soft infant skull fusing solid. And for some reason, I can not remember seeing...